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Productivity with Zest
Productivity with Zest (formally Productivity Hacks) – The podcast for busy business owners and professionals who want to get more of the important stuff done....without burning out.
If you’re juggling a never-ending to-do list, constantly feel like there’s not enough time, or just want to make work (and life!) feel lighter and more manageable, you’re in the right place.
I’m Jasmine Clarke, a Productivity Strategist & Business Coach, and I help overwhelmed professionals and business owners create systems that work for them so they can get more done in less time and still have space for what really matters.
Each episode is short, practical, and packed with actionable strategies to help you work smarter, beat procrastination, and find a rhythm that actually feels good. No hustle culture. No rigid routines. Just realistic, effective ways to be productive on your terms.
Hit subscribe and let’s bring more clarity, focus, and zest to your work and life!
Productivity with Zest
21 | 5 Steps to Stop Work from Invading Your Life & Reclaim True Rest
You’ve closed your laptop, left the office (or at least your desk), and told yourself you’re done for the day… yet your brain has other ideas.
👉 You’re mentally replying to emails while brushing your teeth.
👉 You’re replaying a conversation from earlier.
👉 You’re worrying about tomorrow’s to-do list instead of enjoying your evening.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Work-life boundaries have become more blurred than ever, and it’s making it harder to truly switch off.
🚨 But here’s the good news: You CAN train your brain to let work go. 🚨
In this episode, I’m sharing five powerful steps to stop work from creeping into your personal time—so you can reclaim your evenings, weekends, and headspace.
💡 What You’ll Learn:
✔️ Why your brain clings to unfinished tasks (and how to break free from the cycle)
✔️ The ‘Mental Closure Ritual’ that signals to your brain that work is DONE
✔️ How to create work-life boundaries that actually work (even if you’re self-employed!)
✔️ The simple trick to stop checking work emails at the worst possible times
✔️ Why ‘attention residue’ is hijacking your downtime—and how to fix it
Plus, I’m sharing a real-life coaching story about Rebecca (name changed), a business owner who transformed her work-life balance using these strategies.
✨ Listener Challenge: What’s one boundary you’re going to reinforce this week? DM me on Instagram (@JasmineClarkeCoach) or join the conversation in my Facebook group, Productivity with Zest!
📌 Resources & Links:
🔗 Take my free Productivity Quiz
🔗 Learn about 1:1 coaching with me
🔗 Join my free Facebook group: Productivity with Zest
🎧 Next Week’s Episode: The New Commute System —If you work from home and find it hard to switch off, this system will change the game. Hit subscribe so you don’t miss it!
Until next time—stay productive, stay energised, and keep living with Zest! 🍋✨
Let’s Stay Connected!
Loved this episode? Let’s keep the conversation going—connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook.
Grab Your Freebie: Productivity Quiz - What is holding you back? Take the quiz now and take targeted action
If this episode helped you, I’d love it if you could rate it and leave a quick review - it makes a huge difference! Just drop me a note at jasmine@zestproductivity.com so I can say thanks.
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Hey everyone, welcome to the podcast. Today we're tackling a big one. You've logged off for the day, you've closed your laptop, you've maybe even left the office, but somehow work is still in your head. You're thinking about that email you forgot to send. You're replaying that conversation from earlier, you're mentally adding things to your to-do list while brushing your teeth and suddenly you realise your work day never really ends. Does this sound familiar? If it does, you're definitely not alone, and today we're going to talk about five steps to stop work from invading where it's not welcome, whether that's your mind time, attention or leisure and family time.
Speaker 1:Before we get started, if you haven't taken my free productivity superpowers quiz yet, head over to zestproductivitycom forward slash quiz. It'll help you figure out your productivity superpower, and that might be boundaries, balance and your biggest challenge. For me, balance is my lowest scoring area and if you're listening to this episode, it might be for you too. I'll definitely be taking some tips for myself. I think Okay, let's get going.
Speaker 1:We've all been there, haven't we? Unable to switch off from work, finding ourselves making mental notes, feeling that urge to reply to an instant message or replying to an email. Lots of us take some or all of our work with us. We have laptops, our emails are on our personal phones and our colleagues have our numbers and send us messages on WhatsApp. This portability of work is great. On one hand, you can be productive wherever and whenever you like. This brings flexibility and is a huge shift that we've seen in the workplace in the last four years. It does come with a major downside, though. When you can work wherever and whenever you want to, you can end up working all the time and everywhere.
Speaker 1:Remember, in previous episodes I've talked about attention residue. That's where some of your attention is left behind, and this is why it's hard to multitask. The issue with work being so easily accessed is that it often is. Why would just checking that email be so bad? Because it takes your attention away from what you are doing, from relaxing, being with your family or even watching that film you've been excited about watching, and then you leave some of that attention behind in work. Have you ever just checked your email when you're not working and seen something that really threw you?
Speaker 1:I remember one such time a long time ago, when I worked for a non-profit. I just checked my email on a Friday evening because it was on my phone for convenience and I saw an email that knocked me for six. The email was a really challenging one that implied I'd made a fairly large mistake. I was sure I hadn't and sure that the claims were unjustified, but it completely took over my whole weekend. I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't email back and I shouldn't when emotions were heightened anyway so it just lingered in my brain all weekend until I could sort it out on Monday. It kept me up at night, it stopped me from enjoying my time and I can't even remember what the email was about.
Speaker 1:I'm definitely sure it was unfounded and, yes, I needed to work on my resilience. Give me a break. I was in my early twenties. I have worked on that and I still am. But the fact is all of that could have been avoided if I had left my emails alone all weekend and come in on Monday morning, read it and gone to see that person straight away and sorted it out. I can hear you You're saying but, jasmine, I need to keep on top of my emails and if I left until Monday, then I'm straight into back-to-back meetings with no time to read or sort.
Speaker 1:If you're thinking that, then the way that you're working is broken and unsustainable and it needs looking at. You need to be able to do your work within work, and doing your emails is work. I'm not sorry for the harshness there. It is important to get this stuff sorted In a future episode. I'm not sorry for the harshness there. It is important to get this stuff sorted In a future episode. I'm going to be talking about meetings and how to have productive meetings that don't fill every minute of your calendar. This can be a really tricky one, as it sometimes requires a culture shift in an organisation, but you can lead the way on this for the better of everyone. Something that is key for that is boundaries. So if you lean into these steps today, you'll be well on your way.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's get on to the steps. Step one this is the most important step you need to decide where work is not welcome, because, first things first, you cannot enforce or protect a boundary if you haven't defined it. There's actually a psychological principle behind this, called boundary theory, which basically says that people function best when they have a clear separation between work and personal life. The problem is, most of us don't actually have that separation. Your emails ping whenever. There is sometimes a bit of glory that comes with sending an email at 10pm Ooh, what a dedicated and hard worker. I actually strongly disagree with this and I'd be thinking more along the lines of I really feel for that person working at 10pm on a Friday night.
Speaker 1:But before we do anything else, let's define your boundaries, and I want you to notice the word. You're there Just with all these things, all these productivity things. There is no universal, perfect solution. You need to decide this for yourself. You need to decide your own boundaries. I explored this last week when I talked about experimenting with productivity and finding out what works for you. So with this, I want you to think about where is work currently sneaking into your life where you don't want it to be. For example, you find yourself checking emails in bed and then, when the alarm goes off in the morning, you head right back to the inbox.
Speaker 1:First thing. Maybe you find yourself talking about work at the dinner table and while watching TV in the evening, and while out for a walk on Saturday morning with your family, and on Sunday at your in-laws, and Sunday evening while your husband snores on the couch next to you and even talking to yourself muttering in the shower. How about weekends and evenings being interrupted with that ping, ping, ping, ping ping of work notifications and your mind flitting between what you're doing right then and what you need to do next week at work. So this step one is defining your boundaries, deciding where work is not welcome. Take a second to think about your biggest work life boundary, boundary leak. Where is work creeping in that you'd rather it wasn't? Take a few minutes and write down all the areas where work isn't welcome and the boundaries that you want to define. Got it? Okay, let's start fixing it. Okay, let's start fixing it. So step two stop work invading your mind.
Speaker 1:Ever noticed how work thoughts pop up at the worst of times, when you're trying to fall asleep or spending time with family, or even in the middle of a conversation? That's because your brain doesn't like loose ends, and the Zeigarnik effect, which I've spoken about a few times in this podcast, explains why unfinished tasks keep resurfacing in your mind and demanding that attention. So how do we fix it? You can try a mental closure ritual Before you finish work. Take just five minutes to mentally close your day, review what you accomplished and acknowledge the progress that you've had. Your brain loves completion.
Speaker 1:Say out loud work is done for today. It sounds simple, but verbalising it helps your brain switch off. If you're in an office and you don't feel like saying it out loud, just say it when you get in the cab. Then redirect your thoughts. If work thoughts creep in during your personal time, consciously shift the focus, and this is a habit that you need to create. Ask yourself is this something I can act on right now? If not, just let it go. If it's something that you need or want to remember, have somewhere quickly to jot it down, like a notebook or a note on your phone. Or I even WhatsApp myself. I WhatsApp my work phone so you can bring it out again when you're back at work. But your brain doesn't need to keep hold of that open loop. Have a go-to grounding technique like deep breathing or a quick mindfulness exercise to break that cycle. Your brain needs permission to switch off. Give it that closure and practice this to switch off. Give it that closure and practice this.
Speaker 1:Step three stop work invading your time. If you don't put time limits on work, it will spill into every available moment Like a gas. It will expand into the container you put it in and if you haven't put strong boundaries in for when you will work and when you won't. It will spread out to whatever space. It can Remember that downside of the flexible working lots of us have. And it's not just about setting a finish time, it's about what you do after work that matters. So how do you fix this? Firstly, decide when work is done for the day. Then try a post-work anchor activity. This is just a small, enjoyable activity to mark the shift from work to personal time Could be reading, cooking, playing with your kids, listening to music. Even getting changed into more relaxed clothes could help Make it something you look forward to. So your brain associates it with switching off and be consistent. The more you do it, the stronger the signal that work is over. Another trick is to create a visual end to your workday. If you work from home, pack away your laptop or notebooks. If you have an office, physically leave the space. Even a short walk helps reset your brain. And if you commute, use the journey home to intentionally process and wind down. A structured end-of-the-day habit helps prevent work from stretching into your evenings.
Speaker 1:Step four stop work invading your attention. You're supposed to be relaxing, but your brain keeps circling back to work. Even when you're technically off. You're mentally still on the clock. You might be watching something on TV or listening to a conversation, but you're not fully there. Your attention is split. Have you ever found that you've tuned out of a conversation midway through and had to pull yourself back in? It is so obvious to others when this happens and it sends a signal to them that your mind is elsewhere, which isn't great for building great relationships.
Speaker 1:But how do we fix it? You can try attention redirecting. So when a work thought pops up, acknowledge it and then actively redirect your focus. Ask yourself, what am I doing right now that deserves my full attention? Is it a conversation with your husband? Is it watching something on TV? Whatever it is that deserves your full attention. Is it a conversation with your husband? Is it watching something on TV? Whatever it is that deserves your full attention, if needed, physically engaging something. So move, stretch or shift environments to break that cycle.
Speaker 1:Another method is to use a work buffer. Don't go straight from deep work into personal activities. Give yourself a really short decompression window, just five minutes, a little transition, like a bit of journaling, stretching, listening to music, even the same track. At the end of the day it helps your brain shift gears. Our brains love repetition and they love being able to predict what happens next. If a task feels unfinished, jot it down for tomorrow instead of mentally carrying it around all evening.
Speaker 1:Attention is a muscle? Well, isn't really, but you know what I mean. Attention is a metaphorical muscle, so train it to stay where you want it. And step five is stop work invading your leisure and family life. Work is done, but if you're scrolling through work emails during dinner or mentally running through tomorrow's to-do list while watching tv, then work is still stealing your personal time. How do we fix it?
Speaker 1:Try defining your protected time. Pick one daily activity where work is strictly off limits. You can pick more than one, but start with one. Start small, whether that's dinner, bedtime with your kids or your evening routine. You could even have a cut off time where no work. Talk after 7pm. Treat this protected time like an unmissable meeting, because your personal time matters just as much as your work commitments. Because your personal time matters just as much as your work commitments. Then get intentional about presence.
Speaker 1:When you notice yourself mentally drifting back to work, use a grounding technique, like focusing on physical sensations, like what you see, hear or feel. If work thoughts persist. Remind yourself this can wait. Right now I'm here and remember that notebook technique. Just jot it down, write it on a note with your phone, remind yourself somehow, but get it out of your brain. Protect your personal time with the same energy you protect your work tasks, because life happens in the moment that you're fully present. So basically, in a nutshell, you need to define your boundaries.
Speaker 1:Step one and steps two to five are merely just techniques to defend them. You also may need to defend those boundaries from invading parties, such as if a work colleague messages you in non-work time, you can be really polite about it, but message them back just saying you'll get back to them on Monday or the next working day and ask them if they could email you. The ball is back with them then to communicate with you via the most appropriate channels. If people are used to you just quickly messaging back, then this shift may take a bit of time to sort, but the important thing is you continue to defend your boundary. You can even communicate your boundaries in advance with people Saying something simple to colleagues like I have been looking at my work-life balance and I need to put in some stronger boundaries to protect my rest time and be more productive in work. So I won't be responding to emails or messages out of hours, but I promise to get back to you as soon as I can. If you work for yourself, this could be tricky. As we tell ourselves we don't want to miss the sale. However, you are very, very unlikely to miss someone working with you because you didn't reply to them late on a Saturday night. If you do see a message, then a quick reply saying thank you so much for the message. I'll get back to you on Monday would be 100% fine. You can then write it on your to-do list, get back to that person in work time and switch your brain back to rest or leisure mode.
Speaker 1:Coaching can really help with boundaries, and I just wanted to tell you about Rebecca. So one of my coaching clients from last year Rebecca and I have changed her name really struggled with boundaries. She runs her own business multiple businesses actually and she felt like she was always on, constantly thinking about work, answering messages, struggling to find space for herself. Her work, her businesses had invaded every single area of her life and she was drowning. Through coaching, we worked on defining her version of balance and the boundaries she wanted to set and how to defend them, and that was her boundaries. Her version of balance Might not have been what I would have done for me, but it's what she wanted to do. We also worked on creating space in her diary for joy and peace, which were really important for her, and we worked on learning to protect her energy from things that drained her, and this meant working out what did drain her and what did energize her. She realized that creating space wasn't about doing less. It was about choosing what truly mattered, and she was more productive as a result and had better rest time. If you can relate to this, coaching can help you reclaim your time.
Speaker 1:Head to zestproductivitycom forward slash coaching to learn how coaching with me could help, and I've got a couple of slots coming up for one-to-one coaching starting in March. And I've got a couple of slots coming up for one-to-one coaching starting in March. So which boundary do you need to set and defend this week? Send me a message on Instagram or LinkedIn, jasmine Clark Coach, or join the conversation in my Facebook group Productivity with Zest. The link is in the show notes Coming up.
Speaker 1:Next week is the New Commute. If you work from home and you find yourself struggling to switch off. Next week's episode is a must listen. I'll be sharing the system that I have created, called the New Commute, and it is a simple but very powerful system to help you mentally clock out, create stronger work-life boundaries and truly switch off at the end of the day. Lots of us used to commute from work, but no longer do it every day or even at all, and, believe it or not, there are things that the commute did for us that we don't get anymore, and my system will help bring those back. No traffic, no waste of time, just a better way to transition from work to home life without bringing stress with you. If you've ever felt like your workday never really ends, you won't want to miss this. Hit subscribe so you don't miss it and I'll see you next week. Until next time, stay productive, stay energised and keep living with zest.
